The 12 Best Castlevania Games (and the 3 Worst)

The second season of Netflix's Castlevania is upon us, and it's bloody good. In honor of the Belmont clan's turn on the silver screen (and the release of retro collection Castlevania Requiem), here's our list of the 12 best and three worst games in the beloved action series' history.

Credit: Konami

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Castlevania: Rondo of Blood — BEST

Challenge has never been in short supply in the Castlevania games, but Rondo of Blood pushed the franchise's difficulty to its logical extreme. Taking control of Richter Belmont in 1792, players have to fight their way through eight levels and defeat Dracula — except that if they take a straight shot to the finish, Richter's lover, Annette, will become a vampire and fight him to the death. Instead, players have to discover well-hidden alternate paths through each of the levels, where they can rescue the four maidens who hold the keys to defeating Dracula. One of them — Maria Renard — even becomes a playable character. The gameplay is tight and demanding, and Dracula's final form in this game is about as tough as Castlevania gets. — Marshall Honorof

Credit: Konami

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Castlevania: Symphony of the Night — BEST

One of my favorite entries in the Castlevania series, Symphony of the Night could easily be called Alucard's Bad Night. Picking up after the conclusion of Rondo of Blood, Dracula decides if you can't beat them, then kidnap them and cast a dark spell on them and make them work for you. Discovering that his father's castle has suddenly reappeared, Alucard shows up to get to the bottom of everything and is almost immediately stripped of his gear and powers, leaving him to track everything down in his dad's massive magic castle, face off with his former ally Richter Belmont and still put a stop to his father's mad plan to put an end to humanity. With beautiful sprites, fun combat and a haunting soundtrack, SotM is incredibly fun and highly replayable. — Sherri L. Smith

Credit: Konami

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Castlevania: Adventure ReBirth — BEST

The original Castlevania: The Adventure was a jaunty little diversion on the Game Boy. But like other Game Boy titles of its era, it suffered from small levels, limited graphics, low-res audio and no save-game mechanics. Enter Castlevania: Adventure ReBirth on the Wii: a gorgeous 16-bit-style remake, with colorful graphics, striking boss designs and even a stage select feature in case you can't conquer all six levels in one go. In the game, you play as Christopher Belmont, who sets out to defeat Dracula, but the story is incidental. The big draw here is that you get to replay a classic Castlevania title with all the pomp and circumstance of a modern game. Unfortunately, since the Wii Shop crumbled to dust, there's no way to legally purchase this remaster anymore. — Marshall Honorof

Credit: Konami

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Castlevania — BEST

The game that launched a cadre of sequels, the original Castlevania set the standard for legions of games that continues to this day. I mean there's a reason the genre has been lovingly dubbed "Metroidvania." A tried-and-true platformer, Castlevania introduces us to Simon Belmont and his quest to vanquish the evil Count Dracula. Kicking ass and taking names, Belmont jumps and whips his way through Dracula's castle, dispatching minions at every turn. But Simon didn't just have to worry about creatures of the night trying to devour him, players were also in a battle against the clock as they raced to reach the end of the level before time ran out. Since its inception, it's been ported to a host of new platforms, including mobile and the NES Classic. — Sherri L. Smith

Credit: Konami

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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 - WORST

Why? Just why? After playing the excellent Lords of Shadow, I was primed and ready to jump into its sequel, Lords of Shadow 2. But instead of controlling Dracula at the height of his powers, I had to contend with an amnesiac vampire nearly dying of starvation. As he regains his strength and powers, I had to undergo some of the worst stealth mechanics ever, which only served to hamper some otherwise great fight mechanics. Oh, and did I mention that Dracula is on a quest to defeat Satan, a mission given to him by his oldest enemy Zobek? Yeah, it's a no from me, dawg. — Sherri L. Smith

Credit: Konami

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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — BEST

A game where Patrick Stewart and Robert Carlyle are voicing the main characters? Yes, please, and thank you! Lords of Shadow is a reboot to the series, incorporating combos and upgradable weapons into the platforming, puzzling mix. The alliance between Earth and Heaven is being threatened by a malevolent group called the Lords of Shadow. Gabriel Belmont, a holy knight, is on a mission to thwart the organization's evil mechaniations and try to resurrect his wife in the process. It's a fun, exciting journey with elements of gamer favorites like Shadow of the Colossus and Devil May Cry that culminates in one of the saddest twist endings imaginable. If you haven't played it, I highly recommend and implore to stay away from its sequels at all cost. — Sherri L. Smith

Credit: Konami

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Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin — BEST

World War II is admittedly an overplayed video-game setting, but somehow, adding vampires makes it a lot more palatable. In Portrait of Ruin, you play as Belmont descendant Jonathan Morris, and his young witch friend Charlotte Aulin. The incredible bloodshed in Europe has revived Dracula, and it falls to Jonathan and Charlotte to stop him, with some novel team-up gameplay mechanics. You can switch between the characters at-will as they leap through magical portraits into twisted levels, empower a huge variety of subweapons and combine their abilities to unleash devastating special moves. The game channels Symphony of the Night quite a bit, since you'll need to finish a boss fight non-violently and explore mirrored levels to experience the whole thing. — Marshall Honorof

Marshall Honorof is an editor for Tom's Guide, covering gaming hardware, security and streaming video. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi. Contact him at mhonorof@tomsguide.com.